Stylos is the blog of Jeff Riddle, a Reformed Baptist Pastor in North Garden, Virginia. The title "Stylos" is the Greek word for pillar. In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul urges his readers to consider "how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar (stylos) and ground of the truth."

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

More evidence of downgrade in moderate SBC life

As if we needed more evidence of downgrade in moderate SBC life, the Associated Baptist Press had an article yesterday on Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, TX and its new website which announces, “Royal Lane Baptist Church is an inclusive, multi-generational congregation joined in Christian community. We are a vibrant mosaic of varied racial identities, ethnicities, sexual orientations and denominational backgrounds." The church is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

I was reminded of a line from Psalm 12 which we read in worship last Lord's Day: "The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men."

4 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Hi,

My name is Andrew. Came across your blog by looking for information on Steve Mcvey's book "Grace Walk". I'm not sure if it was you or someone else who had done the review on the book. Would you be able to send me the review if you have it? My email address is: aouatu@gmail.com. I've been reading his book and enjoying it. However, I would like to know what other people think about, and are there some things I should know or be careful about in this book?Thank you.

Hardly a week goes by that I don't get contacted by someone about that review. I'll email you a copy. It is not currently posted online, but I'm going to try to get it up somewhere so folk can continue to read it.

Why shouldn't the Church be inclusive to homosexuals? They belong in the church just like all its other wicked members. No one should feel excluded from the church because of sin, race, or any other perceived differences that somehow make church members assume that they are better than the rest of the world. Maybe an advertisement would be more honest if it said, come to our Baptist church we welcome, adulterers, abusers, viewers of pornography, and most creepy old men who have trouble lusting after young women; if you're gay though you’re not welcome and you had better take care of that sin all on your own before you come through our doors.

Thanks for your comment. The church welcomes those who struggle with the temptation to homosexual behavior just as it does all who struggle with sin of all sorts. The distinction is that we do not bless their continuation in that sin but encourage them to resist temptation and move toward holiness. This is the way it has been since the beginning of the Christian movement. See 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul condemns various vices (including homosexual behavior in v. 9), but he concludes, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (v. 11). The problem with Royal Lane BC and other such liberal churches is that they "welcome and affirm" rather than "welcome and challenge" those who struggle with homosexual practice.